


Are You Willing to Risk It?

by Angels767



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-16
Updated: 2017-05-16
Packaged: 2018-11-01 15:57:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10925151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angels767/pseuds/Angels767
Summary: Sara is woken up at 3AM by an unexpected call from Reyes. In the back of her mind she knows something's not right, but he's not saying anything.Warning: Intense moments, followed by fluff, ahead. You have been warned.{Complete}





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place before Kadara is at 40% readiness, just to give you a heads up on that. I started writing this before I got that far on Kadara. I heard that the romance with Reyes was short in comparison to other romances in the game and couldn't help but think of another mission that involved my favorite smuggler! I'm really excited to share this and hope everyone enjoys it.  
> Just so everyone is aware, this is based off my first play through with my Sara Ryder.  
> This only has three chapters and most likely will not go further than that. Think of it as a mission that takes place in the game before that 40% readiness happens. ;)  
> I might write more in the future if the inspiration strikes like it did for this one.
> 
> Enjoy! :D

 

_Chapter One: Call from Reyes_

 

* * *

* * *

 

Another day had come and gone for the Pathfinder and her crew. The day had been spent with the usual, go to a planet, help the locals, work on trying to make the vaults run so the planets could be colonized.

Her brother, Scott, was still in a coma and the kett were still out there. Sara had done so much, but it still felt that they hadn't made a dent in progress.

But all of that was far from her mind as she slept in her quarters.

“Sara,” SAM's voice echoed in her mind, lulling her out of sleep.

“Hmm... SAM?” she moaned softly, slowly opening her violet eyes.

“You have a vidcom waiting for you.”

The lights in the room slowly came on, giving Sara enough time to get used to it. Moaning a little more as she sat up and rubbed her eye a little.

“Can't Cora take care of it? I've only gotten three hours of sleep...” she yawned, as she glanced at the time.

“She cannot. Mr. Vidal asked for you specifically.”

Sara perked up at hearing the name, suddenly feeling more awake. “Reyes?”

“Yes, and from the tone of his voice, it seems to be urgent.”

Sara found herself out of bed and grabbing her hoodie from the back of her chair as she left her quarters.

“Hey, where's the fire?” Liam stuck his head out of crew quarters to see Sara running across the platform.

“Her boyfriend's calling!” Peebee shouted, stepping out of the galley with a snack.

“What?”

Sara rolled her eyes at the exchange as she made her way up to the meeting room.

“...as I said before, I _need_ to talk to Ryder.” Reyes voice came out of the console, but there was no holographic image of him.

“And as _I_ said before, the Pathfinder is sleeping, so you can talk to _me_ ,” Cora answered, leaning against the console, glaring down at it as if it was Reyes himself.

“It's all right, Cora, I'm up,” Sara said, making herself known.

Cora turned to her in surprise, before sighing. “Did SAM wake you?”

Sara nodded in response.

“Ah, Ryder! Good to hear you again,” Reyes said, sounding pleased to finally be speaking with her.

“Yeah, 'bout that, you do remember that this is _vid_ com right?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Reyes chuckled at her greeting, though it sounded off to her ears, at least slightly. “The vid part of the com isn't working here. They're... working on getting that fixed.”

“Uh-huh,” Sara said, skeptical. “So, what is it? SAM said it was urgent?”

“Really? Well, I never said it was.”

Sara raised an eyebrow. “Oo-kay, is this a social call then?” she asked, moving closer to the console.

Reyes chuckled again, still sounding off to her. “Sadly, no, it's business.”

“What? No party for us to steal the alcohol from again?” Sara said, receiving another chuckle from the smuggler, but this time it sounded more normal.

“Trust me, you'll be the first one I call for that. Last time was very... _enjoyable_...”

A slight smile came over her features, knowing he was referring to the 'distraction' in the storage closet and then later on the roof.

“Will you just get to the point already?”

Sara jumped slightly, turning her head to see Liam standing next to her, his arms crossed as he glared at the console. How long had he been standing there? She had forgotten for a moment that she wasn't alone.

Glancing around, she saw that most of the crew (minus Suvi, Kallo, and Gil) was in the meeting room now. She blushed a little at the sudden realization that they had an audience.

Hearing a giggle, she turned to see Peebee behind Liam. Sara glared at the asari as she giggled behind her hand. Peebee just grinned at her before popping some food into her mouth.

“Ah... Kosta, was it? Nothing wrong with having some small talk, no?” Reyes said, trying to smooth things over.

Liam scoffed. “Whatever, if this isn't important, I say we should just end the call.”

Sara turned to him in shock. “Liam!”

“Oooh, this is getting intense,” Peebee whispered to Vetra, who just shook her head in slight amusement.

“I'm just saying, if all he does is want to flirt with you, then he can do that when you go back to Kadara.” Liam sent a glare to Sara, which she returned. His look turned to one of slight surprise, not having expected her to glare back.

Sudden coughing caused the two to look back towards the console.

“Reyes?” Sara asked, concern lacing her tone as red flags went up in her mind.

Reyes cleared his throat. “Sorry- anyways, Kosta's right,” he said, surprising her a little. “To business then...

“I have some... contacts that are wanting to speak with you, Ryder. They have some... information that could be beneficial to you.”

Sara leaned against the console. “What kind of information?”

“Ah, well, I really can't give details over an unsecured channel. But...” he paused for a moment, almost seeming to choose his next words carefully. “Let's just say that it could mean the difference of life and death... so to speak.”

Her eyebrows went up in slight alarm. “Reyes-”

“I'm sending you the navpoint,” he cut her off, almost seeming rushed. “My contacts and I will meet you on Elaaden.”

“Wait, you're not on Kadara?”

“No, the situation needed my... _personal_ touch.”

Alarms were going off in her head. Something was definitely wrong. Reyes never left Kadara.

“...All right, when do I need to be there?” she asked, not letting it show how alarmed she was suddenly feeling.

“As soon as possible would be best,” Reyes told her.

“Can't wait to see me again, huh?”

“Hmm, you have no idea.”

_Yep, something's wrong... Normally he'll be allusive with his flirting._

“Oh, and, Ryder... the contact requests you come alone.”

Cora scoffed, shaking her head. “You can't be serious? Elaaden is still a dangerous planet, full of Exiles that still want everyone from the Initiative _dead_. We're not sending Ryder by herself just to meet your contacts. We're a package deal, Vidal, all or none.”

Reyes sighed on his end of the call. “I know... but my contacts are very persistent that the Pathfinder comes alone... Believe me, I've tried to talk them out of it.”

“Right,” Cora said, skeptically.

“If going alone is the only way to talk to them, then I'll go alone,” Sara said, getting the attention of her crew-mates.

“Is this going to be Aya all over again?” Vetra asked, crossing her arms.

“Hey, that turned out all right, didn't it?” Sara smiled at her.

“That was different. We didn't have a choice,” Liam quickly reminded.

“Hey, is anyone going to ask Reyes who the contacts even are? I mean, sheesh, seems to be important information missing here...” Peebee pointed out.

“I'm sorry, I can't really say at the moment...”

“So... not the Resistance, then?” Jaal spoke up, having opted to just listen until now.

The smuggler didn't answer.

“Reyes, tell them I'll be there,” Sara confirmed, ignoring the looks from her teammates.

“Good,” he said, sounding slightly relieved. “I'll see you when you get here then. By the way, not sure if I said this, but I apologize about disrupting your sleep.”

Sara's expression softened a little. “Don't worry about it, I slept for over six hundred years.”

Reyes chuckled a little. “Oh, and one more thing... you look lovely with your hair down, Sara.”

Her eyes went wide at his words, suddenly reaching up to her brown hair. It wasn't in her signature ponytail, but down, which she had done when she went to bed. She had forgotten to put it back up when SAM woke her.

“How-” she began to ask, but the call suddenly cut off.

“Well, smells like a trap to me,” Drack said, speaking up for the first time after a moment.

“Yeah, I know,” Sara said, sighing.

“Oh, really? 'Cause I was under the impression you weren't thinking straight.” Liam spat, causing Sara to glare at him again.

“SAM?” Sara asked.

“The camera on Mr. Vidal's end had been turned off while he was receiving imagery of you.”

“Why the hell didn't you say anything?” Liam asked, his annoyance showing too strong.

“Because it was clear that Mr. Vidal was trying to relay to the Pathfinder that he had to keep it a secret, for a purpose we do not yet know.”

“Reyes is in trouble...” Sara stated, pulling the hair tie off her wrist. She tied her hair back up into her usual ponytail.

“How can you be so sure?” Cora asked, stepping in before Liam could say anything again.

His temper seemed to be getting worse.

“Maybe Reyes is the one setting the trap?” Vetra suggested. “I mean, you don't really know him.”

“You think he'd really do that?” Peebee asked, swallowing her food. “It'd be pretty stupid, right? He knows messing with Sara would screw up his rep in the Resistance, not to mention it would make it almost impossible to make Heleus liveable for us.”

“Don't know, maybe he got bought out by somebody? He's always after the next pay out,” Liam stated, seeming to calm down a little.

“The only thing we really know about him is that he's with the Resistance. How can we be sure everything else he's said is even true?”

Sara shook her head, almost not believing what she was hearing. “You're wrong about him... Dismissed.”

“Sara-”

“I _said_ ,” she turned and looked back at her squad, a hard and tired look on her face. “Dismissed.”

She turned and walked down the ramp, walking past Lexi. She headed straight for the galley to get a cup of coffee before going to the galaxy map.

“Sara.” Liam came into the kitchen as soon as she grabbed a mug from the cabinet. “You can't actually be doing this...”

“What? Getting coffee?” she said, sarcastically.

Liam rolled his eyes. “Look, I get you like him, but that shouldn't be a reason to go to him every time he calls you up.”

Watching the coffee pour into her mug, she blew out a breath of air. “This has _nothing_ to do with that. Did you hear anything he said?”

“Honestly? It all sounded like a load of bullshit, just to get you to come to him alone.”

She looked at him skeptically, before taking a sip of her coffee. “Really, Liam?”

He sighed. “Fine, maybe not that, but I don't trust him. Something about him rubs me the wrong way...” he said, looking at her. “And that was _before_ you started flirting with him, F.Y.I..”

Looking away from him, she stared down her mug. “You're right, Liam... I do like him, but that's not why I trust him.”

“Oh? You trust him after, what? Two times you helped him out with something? Then you go to some party with him and that somehow gains trust for you? What about us, your _team_? The ones who have _actually_ fought along side you?”

Sara looked up at him, appalled. “...I can't believe you just said that,” she mumbled, before downing the rest of her coffee, not wanting to take her time anymore.

When she moved to leave the galley, he blocked her way. “Liam-” she began in a warning tone, only to have him cut her off.

“My _point_ is, you're risking your life for a guy, who you're not even sure if he has your back... in a fight, I mean.”

“Liam!”

“All right, all right, that one was bad.”

Sara glared daggers at him. “Yeah, no kidding. You done now?”

“No, actually. If you're so worried, just see if you can send someone from the Resistance to check this out,” he told her, trying to change her mind on going. “There's no reason for you to risk your life, a life that _billions_ depend on, for just one lousy smuggler.”

“Ugh! Liam, he will _die_ if anyone else but _me_ goes!” She was getting beyond frustrated and tired of him not understanding how Reyes' life was in danger.

“And that's a risk that you _should_ be willing to take. You're the _only_ Pathfinder we have, Sara!” he shouted back, causing her to freeze.

Staring at him, she slowly shook his head. “I'm not... I'm not willing to risk it,” she said, looking away from him.

Liam felt his whole resolve shatter. “Fine... you want to throw your life away, go ahead... I see you've _really_ made your choice...” he said, walking out of the galley.

Looking back up at him, she caught his hurt expression. Realizing he meant more than just meeting up with Reyes, she started following him. “Liam, you know that I care about yo-”

He held up his hand, stopping her. “Don't,” he said, moving towards the crew quarters. Before he entered, he looked back at her over his shoulder. “Just... promise me one thing.”

Sara watched him silently, waiting for his request.

He sighed, before his brown eyes connected to her violet ones. “If this turns out to be a trap by him... don't hesitate to kill him... and come back alive.”

The idea of killing Reyes hurt her more than she thought it could, but she knew if it came down to it...

She would have to pull the trigger.

“...Sounds fair. I promise.”

His look softened at her words, before he looked away. “Good...” he said, before entering the crew quarters.

Sara sighed as the door closed behind him, before she turned and climbed up the ladder up to the bridge. Looking up, she saw Suvi glance away from her, while Kallo seemed tenser than usual.

“Did you get the navpoint?” Sara asked, choosing to ignore their reactions.

One thing about the Tempest was that it lacked privacy for certain things...

“Yes, ma'am. The galaxy map is ready for you,” Kallo said, already moving the ship out of the Nexus' docks.

Sara put in the destination, Elaaden, into the galaxy map.

_Hang on, Reyes..._

 


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter Two: Finding Reyes_

 

* * *

* * *

 

“I still don't like the idea of you doing this alone, Ryder,” Cora admitted, as Sara got ready to leave the Tempest.

“You guys don't have to be so protective of me, I _can_ handle myself if something happens,” Sara replied, strapping her pistol to her thigh. “Besides, I won't really be alone, I've got SAM to watch my back.”

Cora sighed. “Right... Has Liam come to talk to you again before you leave?”

Sara paused in putting her sniper rifle on her back. “...No and I don't think he's going to.”

“I didn't think so... Why are you two so stubborn?”

Sara scoffed. “Me? He's the one being unreasonable here.”

Cora gave her a look. “Just be careful, all right? Lexi will be monitoring your SAM implant... We'll get to you if it turns south,” Cora reassured her, causing Sara to smile.

“Thanks, hopefully it doesn't come to that,” she said, moving to the airlock. “Wish me luck.”

As she left, Cora got the team together to put their plan into action.

 

The drive to the navpoint in the Nomad was long and extremely lonely. Sara hadn't realized how much she had gotten used to her squad mates banters about her driving...

“SAM, make a note to ask Gil to put in a radio...” she said. The hum of the Nomad was not enough to help her racing thoughts.

Arriving at the navpoint, she was surprised to find it was a cave. Without a second thought, and wanting to avoid the hot sun of Elaaden, she drove the Nomad inside the cave. When she came to a set of stairs leading down, she got out. Looking around, the only thing that seemed to be in the cave was the flight of stairs.

“Looks like I'm walking from here... At least there's lights,” she mumbled, before heading down the steps.

 _This is making me think of H-047c... Reeeally hoping the floor doesn't open up from under me again,_ she thought, her hand instinctively going to her pistol as she remembered when she and Vetra went to check on a lead her sister had.

When she finally got to the bottom, she was greeted by a door. No guards, no Reyes, just a door.

“Okay... I don't like this...”

“Sara, I am detecting one heat signature in the room ahead, and twenty more beyond,” SAM responded.

“Damn... That's too many people for just a meeting...”

“I agree.”

“Well, here goes nothing...” she said, opening the door.

Walking into the room, she looked around. The room was large and mostly empty, expect for a few crates in various places. Chains hung down from the ceiling, most holding large assortments of equipment.

As Sara stepped further into the room, the door behind her closed, causing her to look back. “I reeeaaally don't like this...” she mumbled, as the door locked. Letting out a sigh, she turned back to the room.

It was then that something caught her eye. Near the back of the room, hanging from a chain was a body. When she got closer she recognized the body. Her heart felt as if it had stopped.

“Shit, Reyes!”

She ran to him while using her booster pack to get to him quicker. Using her omni-blade, she cut the chains holding him up. He fell limp into her arms, not responding.

“SAM?” she asked, as she lowered to the ground, still holding Reyes. She quickly did a scan of him.

“He is still alive, but badly injured. I see several wounds created by fists and kicks, and a few by a blunt object. He has a concussion and three broken ribs. He will need medical attention.”

Sara took in his face. Reyes had a black eye, a split lip, and was bleeding from the forehead. “Come on, Reyes... wake up...” Sara said, as she grabbed the small emergency kit from her pack.

Reyes face scrunched up in slight pain as he regained consciousness, a groan leaving him. Sara sighed in relief as his eyes started to open.

“You look like you're waiting for someone,” she teased, lightly, as his hazel green eyes locked with her violet ones.

“I already told you, Ryder... that's my line...” His face twisted in pain once more as Sara injected a healing stimulant.

“What happened, Reyes?” she asked, helping him sit up.

He held his side, breathing a little heavy. “Roekaar, but I'll... explain later. We need to get out of here...” he said, looking towards the front door. “I'm guessing that's locked.”

“It locked right after I came in. Can you walk?”

“I think so,” he said, pushing himself off the ground. Sara gave him support when he moved to stand. “Well, I'm standing... it's a start,” he mumbled, before moving to walk.

He staggered, causing Sara to shift his weight to her. “Slow start,” she mumbled.

Reyes chuckled a little before wincing. “Don't start doing that now... my ribs couldn't take it.”

“Pathfinder, I am sensing the twenty heat signatures moving in your direction.”

“Damn, we need cover.”

“Over behind those crates, they will give us the most cover,” Reyes said, gesturing to a set of crates.

Sara moved him over the crates as fast as she could without hurting him more.

“You're a strong woman, Ryder,” he said, as she guided him down to the ground.

“Eh, not really, it's the armor,” she said, crouching next to him as she pulled out her assault rifle.

“Got a spare gun I could use?” he asked, adjusting himself against the crates.

She looked at him unsure. “Reyes-”

“Sara,” he said, putting his hand over hers. “They didn't break my hands, at least give me the pleasure of making them regret not doing so.”

Seeing the look in his eyes, she sighed as she gave in. “All right,” she said, giving him her pistol. “I'll need the backup anyways.”

“Thanks,” he said, looking pleased when he took the pistol.

“Here they come...” Sara said, as the door in the back of the room opened up.

The Roekaar forces entered the room, moving into position. When they didn't fire yet, she got the feeling their leader was about to make some sort of speech.

“Why do the bad guys always have to make a speech?” she asked, glancing at Reyes, who just smirked in response.

“Ryder, only ten of the heat signatures have entered the room,” SAM told her.

“Meaning we'll get at least one more wave after these guys...” she said, before cursing.

“Pathfinder!” the Roekaar leader shouted, making himself known. “I see you have found your mate! It is a shame he didn't die before you got here.”

Sara glanced at Reyes. “Did he just call you my mate?”

He winked at her, before shouting to the angara. “I just happen to be very resilient! It's a common mistake.”

“How many times have you almost been beaten to death?” Sara whispered, causing Reyes to shrug, only for him to wince.

“Do _not_ ignore me, Pathfinder!”

Sara rolled her eyes. “All right, you got my attention! Let me guess, you want me dead?”

“With you gone, the aliens will be scattered and the Roekaar will stand above them! Heleus will belong to the Angara once more!”

Sara peeked over the crate to see that the Roekaar leader was standing conveniently under a large piece of equipment that was held up by a chain. Without hesitation, she shot at the chain, causing it to break. The machinery crushed the leader and a two other Roekaar, bringing the number of enemies down to seven.

“I like these odds better,” Reyes said, starting to shoot.

“I thought you would,” Sara said, using her biotics against enemies. “I'm going out there, watch my back!”

Leaving a few magazines with Reyes, she shot up into the air with her booster pack, before charging at a group of enemies. Slamming her fist down, she used nova, that knocked the group back, before tossing a shock wave.

Reyes shot at any Roekaar that tried to ambush or snipe her. It wasn't until there were only three left that he fell back against the crates, breathing heavily.

“Reyes!” Sara shouted, seeing him fall back. Quickly she finished off the last three Roekaar, before running back over to him.

“Well... that was satisfying...” he gasped out, breathing heavily, before coughing.

She did another scan of him. “SAM?”

“His condition is worsening, Sara. Mr. Vidal cannot fight any longer without critical consequences.”

“Shit.” She turned off the scanner after reading how much worse he was getting.

“The last of the Roekaar forces are coming. Immediate course of action is advised.”

“Stay here and don't shoot unless you absolutely have to,” she said, turning to Reyes.

The doors opened once more and ten Roekaar filled the room. They fired immediately upon them, not stopping to wait like the ten before had.

“SAM, change to Infiltrator profile,” Sara said, before SAM complied.

Using her cloaking, she moved away from Reyes as the Roekaar looked around the room, confused on where she went. Quickly, she snuck up behind one and used her omni-blade, stabbing him in the back.

She sent incinerate to a group, burning five, but only killing two. They turned and fired on her. Sara used her booster pack to dodge, aiming to get behind a crate as her shield was getting low.

Before she could get to it, she was shot out of the air. A Roekaar sniper aimed for her back, hitting her booster.

She hit the ground in a roll and dashed behind the crate. “SAM?” she breathed heavily, waiting for her shields to start back up.

“Your booster pack is damaged and will need to be repaired before you can use it again.”

“Well, that's great,” she mumbled, before seeing her shields come back up. Looking over the crates, she spotted a Roekaar heading to Reyes, who was weakly holding the pistol she left with him.

“Reyes! SAM, Vanguard profile!”

“Sara, it is unwise to use Charge before the profile sets,” SAM told her, knowing what she was thinking.

“Don't care,” she said, before her body glowed with her biotics. She charged at the Roekaar, sending him flying, before she used backlash, blocking the shots fired at her and Reyes.

She was starting to feel her implants flair up from the overuse of her biotics when they had needed to cool down. Before she could burn out, she sent a singularity, messing up the Roekaars' dynamic.

The doors blasted open, capturing everyone's attention. Before the Roekaar could react, a war cry went out, before Drack came charging into the room. He plowed into the enemy and headbutted them before shooting them.

Jaal appeared behind a couple of Roekaar and took them down before they could blink. Liam joined him in fighting.

“Ryder!” Peebee shouted as she and Cora came running towards her and Reyes.

“Your team has... interesting timing,” Reyes said, breathing heavily with a slight smirk.

Sara smiled back at him, feeling relieved. “Was wondering when you guys would show,” she said, when they got to their side.

“Pfft, we would have been here sooner if the tank we had to use was actually fast,” Peebee complained.

“Just be glad the Krogan had something they were willing to part with,” Vetra said, over the comm as she sent a concussive shot to a Roekaar that was getting too close to them.

“How bad is he?” Cora asked, moving to Reyes' other side when she saw how he looked.

“Not good, he needs medical attention,” Sara answered, as she put Reyes' arm over her shoulder.

“All right, let's get-” Cora started, before the room started to shake.

“What the hell!” Sara exclaimed, holding tighter to Reyes, trying to not drop him.

“It seems blasting the doors open has caused the cave that this vicinity is in, to become unstable,” SAM answered.

“Really? I just thought it was Drack,” Peebee said, before shouting to the others who were finishing up the fight. “Come on! We gotta go or we're going to be one with Elaaden!”

Cora moved to help Sara with Reyes, when pieces of the ceiling started breaking apart. “Crap!” She stood up and quickly put a barrier around the four of them.

“Come on!” Liam shouted, at the doorway with Jaal and Drack.

“Peebee! Help Sara,” Cora ordered, causing the asari to move into action.

“Up we go, Vidal,” she said, as she and Sara lifted Reyes off the ground.

He groaned in response.

“Ready?” Cora asked, receiving a nod from Sara.

“Let's go!”

“We can use our boosters and get out of here faster,” Peebee suggested, as they started moving towards the entrance, debris bouncing off the biotic barrier.

“Can't, my pack is damaged,” Sara told her.

“Well, damn.”

Before they got to the doorway, Liam ran up to them and quickly started to take Reyes from them. “Move it or lose it!” he said, before taking off ahead of them.

“Don't have to tell us twice!”

They ran to the entrance where Jaal and Drack were waiting.

“Where's Vetra?” Sara asked, as everyone started using their boosters to hurry up the steps.

“Already up the stairs, hurry up! This cave isn't going to last much longer.”

Jaal grabbed Sara by the waist, before using his booster pack to get the two of them up to the top. When they got there, Liam was putting Reyes in the back of the Nomad. Sara ran from Jaal and joined him in the back.

Vetra climbed into the driver side, while Liam got into the passenger seat.

“Really? Why do you guys get to be in the Nomad?” Peebee protested, not wanting to be in the stinky tank.

Cora rolled her eyes and pulled her into the tank, with Drack at the wheel.

The stairway caved in as they drove away. They barely made it out of the cave before the entrance completely collapsed.

The ride was bumpy, making Reyes groan at every jolt. Sara held him in her arms, trying to help keep him steady as they drove down the mountainside.

Once they were on smoother ground, Liam let out of a sigh of relief. “Man, that was a riot,” he said, glancing back at Sara.

He froze when he saw Sara still holding onto Reyes, her fingers running through his hair. The latino's face was distorted in pain, his breathing still irregular. Sara's own face was teeming with concern as she stared down at him.

Liam turned back to the front, opting for staring out the window instead of the couple in the backseat. Vetra remained silent as she drove.

 


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter Three: Resting with Reyes_

 

* * *

* * *

 

 

“Get him to the Med Bay, stat!” Lexi ordered, the moment the team was back on the ship.

Drack carried Reyes towards with med bay, with Lexi leading the way. Sara rushed to follow them until Cora stopped her.

“Sara, you need to go to the galaxy map and set a course for the Nexus,” her second in command said, in a calm and understanding tone. “Reyes will be fine with Lexi until then.”

Sara stared at her for a moment, as if unsure of what she was saying. Blinking, she shook herself. “Right... thanks, Cora,” she said, softly, before turning around and walking up to the galaxy map.

She set the destination for the Nexus and remained silent through the trip.

Suvi and Kallo exchanged looks behind her, having not seen Sara like this before. It was unsettling and worrisome.

The moment the Nexus was in view, Sara moved away from the galaxy map. Lexi had Reyes on a gurney, ready to depart the ship the moment they were docked.

Moving to his side, Sara took Reyes hand. “How is he?” she asked, noticing he wasn't really awake, but still looked to be in some pain.

“I've stabilized him for now. He's still in pain, but he's resting somewhat.”

“I've told the Nexus to expect us,” Cora said, coming up to them.

“Thanks, Cora,” Sara said, gratefully.

The airlock doors opened and they headed towards the medical bay on the Nexus.

 

When they passed through the doors of the Nexus Med Bay, Sara felt Reyes hand tighten around hers, before feeling him jerking out of her hand. Looking at him in surprise she saw he was awake, but looking ready to bolt.

“Hold him down!” Lexi ordered, as Reyes started to sit up.

He pulled off his breathing mask and moved to push himself off the gurney.

“Reyes!” Sara moved in front of him, placing her arms to either side of the gurney, pinning him.

He looked at her in shock, as if seeing her for the first time. “Sar-” He started coughing.

“Lay back down, Reyes,” she said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Shaking his head as he coughed, he looked at her. “Can't be here... I need to get back to Kadara,” he said, before he started coughing once more.

“You'll get back, but right now you need to be here,” she told him, holding his gaze. “Trust me, nothing is going to happen to you here.”

As she spoke, she gently guided him back to the gurney. His eyes never left hers, as if searching for something. However, they started to lose focus as he started to relax.

He didn't say anything, just closed his eyes. As Lexi put his mask back on his face, Reyes' hand found Sara's and gave it weak squeeze.

Sara's gaze softened as she gave his hand a squeeze back. “Okay, let's go.”

The doctors moved Reyes further into the room, before transferring him from the gurney to an operation table.

Sara lost hold of his hand during the transfer and was rushed out of the room by Lexi and Cora. Before she left, she caught sight of Reyes looking at her past the doctors. She gave him a reassuring smile, before the doors closed, blocking him from view.

The moment the doors closed, Sara suddenly felt drained. The couple of hours of sleep, followed by rescuing Reyes, were finally catching up to her.

She moved to the waiting room and sat down on the closest bench. Leaning back, she rested her head against the wall and closed her eyes.

Hearing someone stand beside her, she kept her eyes closed.

“...Come on, let's get go to Vortex and get a beer,” Liam said, causing her to open her eyes in surprise.

Shaking her head, she looked at him before leaning her head back against the wall. “No, thanks...”

Liam sighed, sitting down next to her. “You need one, Ryder.”

Sara stared blankly at the ceiling. “I'm staying here...”

He held back a groan of frustration. “He's going to be in there for awhile... you might as well take your mind off of it for a little while at least.”

Jaal came to the other side of her and sat down. “Sara...” he said, causing her to turn her head towards him, but her eyes remained on the ceiling. “It's okay to cry, Sara.”

Sara scoffed. “Cry? Who said anything about crying?” she asked, placing her elbows on her knees as she leaned forward.

“I didn't cry when dad died, neither did I cry when Scott didn't immediately wake up,” she stated, her voice starting to sound bitter. “Last time I cried was when my mom...” she trailed off, as she sat up straight suddenly.

Her hands gripped her knees tightly.

Jaal let out a sigh through his nose. “It sounds to me... as if you have been needing to cry for a long time...” he said, softly, as he placed a hand over hers.

Her head turned to his and she stared into his blue marble like eyes. “I'm the Pathfinder...”

“That doesn't mean you're not human...” Liam suddenly said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She looked at him, before looking at forward, her gaze on the floor. Out of her control, her body started to shake, and before she knew it, tears started building up in her eyes. Choking back a sob, she covered her face with her hands as she let the tears flow down.

Jaal pulled her over into his arms and let her cry in his chest. Liam, even though he felt slightly awkward and unsure, started rubbing her back, wanting to do something to help comfort Sara.

The Pathfinder cried quietly, her body continuing to shake as she was held and comforted. Everything that happened finally broke for her. She cried for the loss of her dad, for her brother, who was still in a coma, and for Reyes...

It wasn't until then that she realized that Reyes meant more to her than she had originally thought. When did he smuggle his way into her heart?

There was still so much she didn't know about him and she found she didn't mind. She wanted to know everything about it, but felt she would settle with what he was willing to share.

Without realizing it, Sara dozed off, exhaustion taking her.

Jaal passed the sleeping pathfinder to Liam and received a surprised and unsure look from him.

“Uhh, Jaal? I really think you're better suited for this...” he whispered, not wanting to wake Sara.

Jaal smiled. “Consider it this way, Liam,” he began, standing up. “When she wakes up, you'll be able to apologize for how you reacted earlier.”

Liam grimaced a little. “Thanks, man... way to be a pal.” He put his arm around Sara, deciding to get comfortable.

Jaal just chuckled before walking off.

Cora walked up with two cups of coffee. “Oh? She's asleep?” she asked, in a whisper when she saw Sara.

Liam nodded silently. “Thanks,” he said, when she handed him one of the cups.

“How is she?” Cora asked, taking Jaal's abandoned seat.

“Well, she's finally letting herself be sad about things...” Liam said, looking down at Sara.

Cora took a sip of her coffee. “Well, she hasn't had time to really _be_ sad. She's the pathfinder,”

He shook his head. “So? She's still allowed to feel.”

She sighed as she looked at Sara. “I know... And she wasn't even really trained for this...”

“She's been doing a good job though, you have to admit that.”

“That she has...” Cora said, softly, before looking back at Liam. “You know... you still have a chance with her right?”

He scoffed softly, still wanting to avoid waking the pathfinder. “You didn't see her in the Nomad...”

Cora shook her head. “I wouldn't give up... She doesn't really know Vidal.”

“I don't think that matters at this point... but I'll be there if he hurts her, all right?” he said, ending the topic.

Liam didn't want to talk about it anymore. All he wanted to do at that moment was support Sara and get outposts settled in Heleus.

 

After some time Cora left them alone, deciding to head to the Pathfinders' HQ. Eventually, Liam was able to get Sara off of him, having her lay down on the bench, using his jacket as a pillow.

It was shortly after he left to get some more coffee that Sara started to awaken. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes before stretching.

She had a slight headache and felt groggy as she looked around. Beside her, she saw her casual clothes, making her realize that she was still wearing her armor.

Grabbing her clothes, she found a nearby restroom and changed. After changing she looked herself over in the mirror and groaned in frustration at how puffy and pink she looked from crying. Annoyed with how messy her hair was from napping on the bench, Sara took it down and combed through it with her fingers. When she was satisfied, she went back over to the bench.

“Hey.”

She looked over to see Liam walking over to her with a coffee in each hand. “Good to see you up,” he said, handing her one of the coffees.

Setting her armor down, she took the offered drink. “Thanks...” she nodded, before drinking some of the warm elixir. “How long was I asleep?”

“Not very long,” he said, sitting down next to her on the bench when she moved over for him. “Vetra brought your clothes, she figured you didn't want to stay in your armor.”

Sara smiled a little as they both sat down. “She was right... And sorry about... earlier,” she said, looking down at her coffee cup.

“You don't have a reason to be sorry, Sara...” Liam started, before sighing. “I'm the one that's sorry... for giving you grief over meeting up with Vidal...”

Sara looked up at him in surprise. He didn't meet her eye as he bounced his leg. “Looks like you were right after all anyways... Good thing you went...”

She gave him a grateful look. “Thanks, Liam.”

He just nodded, before drinking more of his coffee. “And before you ask, I haven't heard anything new about him yet. Should be soon though-” Liam was interrupted when the doors opened and a doctor walked out.

“Pathfinder Ryder? You were the one who brought Mr. Vidal here?”

Sara immediately stood up. “Yes, how is he?”

“Well, Mr. Vidal was in bad shape, but we have him stable and were able to stop the internal bleeding and his bones are mended. He's still weak and shouldn't be doing any rough activity for awhile. We'll be keeping him here for at least one more night after today. Gives his bones a chance to really settle,” he explained, causing Sara to feel relieved.

“Thanks, Doctor.”

He smiled at her. “You can go see him now, he's still asleep, but he should be awake in the next hour.”

Sara didn't have to be told twice. Picking up her armor, she headed straight to the room. When she entered she saw Reyes sleeping peacefully. The swelling around his eye had gone down tremendously and the cut on his forehead was closed. He still had the split lip, but it looked better than before.

Sitting down in a chair next to the bed, Sara placed her coffee on the table next to her and her armor on the floor by her feet. Gently, she took Reyes' hand and stroked the back of it with her thumb.

His hand twitched in response, causing her to smile.

“...You look like you're waiting for someone...”

Sara looked up to see Reyes looking at her through half closed eyes. A smile formed on her face at the hint of a smirk on his. “Glad to see you're already feeling better,” she said, not letting go of his hand.

His gaze seemed to soften a little. “You should know by now that I can't be kept down, Ryder.”

“I'm holding you to that, Vidal,” she teased, but gave his hand a squeeze, showing she meant it.

He chuckled softly, giving her hand a squeeze back. “So... I'm sure you have questions...”

“You got that right,” she said, letting go of his hand to cross her arms. “What the hell happened, Reyes?”

He looked at his hand when she let go, looking a little disappointed. Shrugging a little, he gave her a laid back look. “Apparently some of the Roekaar saw our kiss on the rooftops in Kadara Port,” he told her, speaking as if it wasn't an issue.

“So... to get to me, they got you? Wait... is that why he called you my mate?” she asked, mentally noting the smile that appeared on his lips when she brought that up.

“It was a really ingenious plan, no? Surprised even me,” he said, still smiling.

Sara sighed. “Great... Did they get you at Tartarus?”

He shook his head. “No, no, they contacted me under the guise of a client of mine... Needless to say, that client is dead now...” he spoke bitterly, before sighing.

“Ugh, I'm sorry...” she said, placing her head in her hands.

Reyes looked at her in surprise.

“Because of me you were almost killed...” Regret formed in her heart at the thought of Reyes dying because of her.

“Sara...”

She looked up when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking at him, Reyes was sitting up. “Reyes-”

“I should be the one that's sorry... I called _you_ to save my ass, knowing full well what they were planning... Sure, the call was technically against my will, but I-”

Before he could finish, Sara leaned forward and kissed him. Pulling back, she placed a hand on his cheek.

“You gave me hints... I knew it was going to be trouble,” she stated, looking his squarely in the eyes. “And...” She took a breath. “I'd do it again, Reyes...” Her heart was pounding hard at her confession.

His surprised look hadn't left him as he studied her. Gaze softening, he smiled at her. “...You really mean that...”

Sara had expected some witty comment, something she could comment back against. She felt frozen, unsure how to respond all of a sudden.

Reyes took her silence as a opportunity to pull her forward into his arms. His arms wrapped around her as she felt herself heat up.

“R-Reyes, careful-”

“I swear I won't let you have another reason to come save me,” he spoke softly, into her ear, making her heart beat faster. “Thanks, by the way..."

She hugged him back, trying to be careful not to hurt him. “No problem...”

Without another word, Reyes pulled her back onto the bed with him, scooting over for her to have room. She snuggled against him, feeling relaxed for the first time since she woke up to his call. His arm was wrapped around her as his cheek was against her head.

They stayed that way for over an hour, occasionally talking about a few things, until Sara fell asleep. Reyes ran his fingers through her hair, his hold not letting up on her even as she slept.

“...That's the second time she's fallen asleep since we got you here.”

Reyes looked up to see Liam leaning against the doorway. Arms crossed, Liam couldn't stop the glare that was on his face as he looked at the couple.

Reyes smirked a little. “It's good to know she trusts me so much then...” he said, looking back down at the sleeping pathfinder. His smirk softened into a smile.

“Is it?” Liam asked, regaining the smuggler's attention.

Reyes chuckled softly, careful not to wake Sara. “I'm sensing we have a problem, Kosta.”

Liam's glare darkened. “You bet your ass we do.”

“Come now, let's be gentlemen and let the woman, we both obviously care for, sleep,” Reyes stated, as Sara's face scrunched up a little in her sleep. Without hesitating, Reyes kissed the top of her head and rubbed her back, until she finally relaxed again.

Liam frowned and stepped off the doorway. “Fine, but know this, Vidal.” He walked to the end of the bed. “If you ever betray and/or hurt her, you'll have me and the rest of her team coming after your ass.”

The smirk returned to Reyes' face. “I think we both know Sara can exact revenge herself...” he said, not really caring about Liam's threat.

He scoffed lightly, silently agreeing with the latino's words.

“You may not trust me, Kosta, but if there is one thing that I never want to do to Sara it's hurt or betray her.” Reyes finally looked up at the black man as he spoke, his eyes showing truth.

It was almost enough to make Liam believe him...

Almost.

“Right, just remember that,” he said, turning his back on the couple and walking out of the room.

Reyes let out a sigh, absentmindedly rubbing Sara's back. The threat from Sara's team wasn't surprising, but he didn't think much of them and how they viewed him.

The only person whose view of him he cared about was the woman laying against him. The very idea of her not looking at him with those violet eyes the way she did, brought pain to his heart...

And that alone scared him more than he wanted to admit.

Sara started to stir, causing Reyes to push the negative thoughts aside for the moment. When her eyes opened, a sleepy smile came over her features when she saw him.

“Hi,” she said, her word coming out in a whisper.

All the negative thoughts completely vanished in that moment.

He chuckled softly. “Hi yourself.”

She closed her eyes before stretching a little. Her body slightly arched which let terrible thoughts enter his mind.

“How long was I out?” she asked, still stretching.

A chuckle escaped Reyes when Sara let out a slight moan. “Not long.”

A light blush crept up her cheeks when she realized what she did. Clearing her throat, she moved to sit up, but Reyes kept his arms around her, not ready for her to leave just yet.

Sara laughed a little at him holding her in place. “Afraid I might disappear?”

He shrugged lightly, not taking his eyes off her face. “Chances are unlikely, but why risk it?”

She rolled her eyes at his response. “Sorry I fell asleep on you...” she said, feeling embarrassed and guilty about it.

“Don't be,” he told her, seeing her relax at his words. “Though, being the first thing you wake up to is something I could get used to,” he smirked, causing her to laugh again.

“Yeah, well, the only way that's going to happen is if you join me on the Tempest, and you don't want to leave your _precious_ Kadara,” she teased, not really being serious.

“Or if you stay with me on my precious Kadara,” he thought out loud.

She froze at his words, staring at him in shock.

 _Shit..._ he thought, realizing what he just said.

“Is...” Sara spoke slowly, her eyes searching his. “Is that... an invitation to live with you?”

Shrugging a little, he tried to roll with it. “It's possible... though, we'd have to discuss 'rent'...” he said, slyly, as his hand slithered up her shirt, causing her to blush.

“Reyes!” she whispered, lightly elbowing him.

He winced. “Ouch, watch the ribs,” he laughed.

“We're in a med bay!”

“Oh? So if we weren't, you'd let me?” he teased, pulling her closer to him again, nipping at her ear as she tried to turn away from him.

“It's possible,” she threw back at him, her cheeks still pink, but her eyes were bold.

The sound of someone clearing their throat tore their gaze apart. Turning around, a nurse stood in the doorway. “I believe the doctor said that Mr. Vidal shouldn't be doing any rough _activity_ for awhile?”

The couple blushed, but Reyes smirked. “Who said we were going to be rough?”

Sara wanted the bed to swallow her. Resisting elbowing him again, she opted for slapping his shoulder, which caused Reyes to laugh.

“Well, I will still need to stop you, because visiting hours are over,” the nurse stated, coming over to his bed side and checking his vitals. “You can visit him tomorrow, Pathfinder.”

“Right...” Sara sheepishly got off the bed. “I'll see you tomorrow,” she said, to Reyes, stretching as she stood.

“Til next time, Pathfinder,” he said, winking at her, causing her to roll her eyes.

“Goodnight, Reyes,” she said, earning a chuckle from him.

“Goodnight, Sara.” He smiled at her and she returned it before grabbing her armor and leaving.

 

Sara woke up the next morning, after finally getting a good night's sleep again. Sitting up, she stretched and yawned a little.

“Good morning, Sara,”

“'Morning, SAM,” she greeted, standing up.

“You have unread messages at your private terminal,” SAM informed her.

“Cool, hope there's not another thing from Tann or Addison...”

Moving over to her desk, she sat down to open her terminal. Looking it over, she had a few things from various people, one being from Keri asking for another interview. Replying to a few of them, she spotted one that was titled 'Back where I need to be'.

Feeling confused on who it could be from, she opened it, figuring it would be from someone she met in passing. She had the tendency to forget names.

 

_Sara,_

 

_I'm hoping you see this before you make the pointless trip back to the Med Bay on the Nexus just to see me. If not, I apologize._

_I'm no longer on the Nexus, but back on Kadara. The doctors did well to patch me up, but considering I'm one of the 'exiles', I wasn't sure how long my stay would be welcomed._

_Don't worry, I had no trouble getting a shuttle to Kadara. If you want to make sure I actually arrived safely, I'll be in my usual location._

_I did, however, enjoy our time in the bed._

_It was just too bad that nurse came in before we could do other activities in it._

 

_Thanks again for saving my ass,_

_Reyes Vidal_

 

_PS. Have I mentioned how beautiful you look with your hair down? It's a nice change. ;)_

 

After reading the email from Reyes, she started laughing a little. “Why am I not surprised?”

“Because he is Reyes Vidal,” SAM answered, only making Sara laugh more.

Standing up from the desk, she moved to get dressed. “Looks like we're stopping by Kadara to check on a certain smuggler.”

As she left the room, she didn't notice she had a huge smile on her face and had forgotten to put her hair back up.

 


End file.
